Anna Marno’s advice to her junior self

This month we asked our athletes to compose blog posts on three topics – one of which was what advice they would give to their junior racing selves. Here is what U.S. Ski Team and T2 athlete, Anna Marno had to say.

Dear Anna,

Be selfish- I don’t mean step on other people toes, take more for yourself, or go behind your teammates back; not that kind of selfish. What I mean, is trust yourself, listen to yourself, and make your own power. From start to finish, through your injuries, crashes, travels, and victories YOU are the only constant; no one understands your journey, past, future, and present like you. Own it, love it, and create it.

Your coaches, your parents, your teammates, and everyone in between will have something to say. You don’t always have to agree with them. It’s okay to go against what someone else says or wants as long as you trust yourself and commit to your decisions. You will be labeled, categorized, and generalized: Speed skier, not a glider, likes technical courses, not a Downhiller, not a Slalom skier, ext. No matter who or where these come from, they are only true if you want them to be. Define yourself and prove yourself right. This is YOUR journey; take the wheel.

Listen- The latter being said, listen to all the advice, opinions, and stories that come your way. You don’t always have to agree, but there is usually a reason to what you are hearing. Keep an open mind. Usually the hardest things to hear are the things we need to hear the most.

Be patient- Your moments of success and glory become bigger and grander, but they also become fewer and farther between. Your highs will be higher, and your lows will be lower. That’s the nature of this sport for most of us. Be patient, a good day is usually closer than you think. In between those good days life is still pretty awesome; enjoy the sunshine, the mountains, free skiing, and the sunrises. And if it’s a nasty snowy (or rainy) day and you have to slip six times just so the race gets cancelled, listen to some good music, sing on the chairlift, play cards with another team, and drink a cappuccino. You will have many more opportunities. If you find yourself on the couch wrapped in ice and bandages know that you will find your way back. Your time line may shift, but you can still get to where you are trying to go.

Anna has been having an awesome season btw! She scored her first World Cup points in Cortina and sits second in the overall Nor Am SG standings. Yeah, Anna!